Fast, Cheap PhD Programs at Southeastern University

[sanantone]

This is interesting too: https://seu.edu/admission/campaigns/lear...education/

Although like their other doctoral programs, they refer to it being just 30 credits, and don't say whether the dissertation is part of that or not.

The link to this ad is in the OP. So far, I've only seen this advertisement and the admissions requirements on the admissions page. There's not a catalog entry yet. They were also advertising the PhD in Psychology before any information was posted. The catalog was just updated with the psychology curriculum within the past week or two. The catalog credit counts for the psychology and theology PhD programs do match what is advertised.

[mcjon77]

Wow - only 36 credits?  Don’t doctorate programs need to be at least 64+ credits?

The admission requirements state that you must have a masters degree in a related field to be accepted into the program, so 36 + 30 for original masters makes sense.

[SteveFoerster]

Wow - only 36 credits?  Don’t doctorate programs need to be at least 64+ credits?

The admission requirements state that you must have a masters degree in a related field to be accepted into the program, so 36 + 30 for original masters makes sense.

Even if a Master's is required for entry, just ten more courses is still pretty light—especially since it seems the the dissertation is included in that.

[sanantone]

Wow - only 36 credits?  Don’t doctorate programs need to be at least 64+ credits?

The admission requirements state that you must have a masters degree in a related field to be accepted into the program, so 36 + 30 for original masters makes sense.

It is, indeed, abnormal. PhD programs that require a master's degree have been around for a long time, and they've been 54+ credits. PhD programs with bachelor entry are around 90 credits.

[Mint Berry Crunch]

Wow - only 36 credits?  Don’t doctorate programs need to be at least 64+ credits?

The admission requirements state that you must have a masters degree in a related field to be accepted into the program, so 36 + 30 for original masters makes sense.

Even if a Master's is required for entry, just ten more courses is still pretty light—especially since it seems the the dissertation is included in that.

I was gonna say, aren't there some colleges/universities out there that offer dual PhD/Master programs? Or programs that you earn a Masters throughout the completion of a Doctoral program? I've seen a few MD/MBA programs and JD/MED one's before, though I'm not sure of the total credit hours between them. I would imagine that some of the courses overlap with one another.

[sanantone]

Wow - only 36 credits?  Don’t doctorate programs need to be at least 64+ credits?

The admission requirements state that you must have a masters degree in a related field to be accepted into the program, so 36 + 30 for original masters makes sense.

Even if a Master's is required for entry, just ten more courses is still pretty light—especially since it seems the the dissertation is included in that.

I was gonna say, aren't there some colleges/universities out there that offer dual PhD/Master programs? Or programs that you earn a Masters throughout the completion of a Doctoral program? I've seen a few MD/MBA programs and JD/MED one's before, though I'm not sure of the total credit hours between them. I would imagine that some of the courses overlap with one another.

Traditional PhD programs often have post-baccalaureate entry, and the master's can be earned on the way to the PhD. These programs are normally around 90 credits. 

The JD and MD are not scholarly doctorates, so they can't be compared to PhD or even EdD and DBA programs, but dual degree programs do exist. They may or may not allow students to share electives between the programs.

[WALLACEMC11]

After inquiring about the PHD in Classical Education, I received an email from an admissions counselor. According to her email, the program is 30 credits of coursework PLUS a dissertation, with regular live online classes and three required in-person residencies as the op mentioned, at the beginning, middle, and end of the program. The first cohort will be Fall 2027. Since it's a "Christ-centered" institution, it's probably not my cup of tea, but it seems like it will be a solid program for those who can attend the live online sessions and travel to Florida three times for the required in-person intensives.

[sanantone]

The PhD in Classical Education has been added to the catalog. It's 42 credits. The dissertation section doesn't make sense. It says nine credits, but lists five 3-credit courses that are all required. Maybe you can choose to take one or two credits for each phase.

https://catalog.seu.edu/programs/NCAdatC...88QAvD_BwE

[Mint Berry Crunch]

The PhD in Classical Education has been added to the catalog. It's 42 credits. The dissertation section doesn't make sense. It says nine credits, but lists five 3-credit courses that are all required. Maybe you can choose to take one or two credits for each phase.

https://catalog.seu.edu/programs/NCAdatC...88QAvD_BwE

Classical education is a very interesting read on wiki and something that I look at time-to-time. 42 credits for a PhD is pretty good compared to a 48 credit program that I'm doing that's nearly $50k. I feel as though a PhD from Morgan State University (if you can somehow swing it) would be one of the fastest and cheapest (again, if possible), but this doesn't look to bad. I haven't looked at the costs though.